By Mark Ingman, San Juan County Solid Waste Program Coordinator Have you ever noticed a mossy, weedy tire while walking along roads or beaches? There is a chemical compound in tires that washes off in the rain and is linked to killing salmon — bringing in a cast-off tire along with your litter to the  Continue Reading

From Spring Street International School   Don’t miss out on Spring Street International School’s final event in our 2021 virtual nature speaker series, featuring herbalist Callie North at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 14.   Register for the event here.   North co-owns and runs two businesses on Lopez Island: a brick-and-mortar shop Northsea Apothecary and  Continue Reading

From San Juan Islands Sculpture Park Join the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park’s first-ever Daffodil Frolic, a spring celebration of thousands of Daffodils and Irises. (Sorry, the deer ate the tulips.)While you are at the park, enjoy our 150 sculptures, nine new sheep, “Soundhenge,” new Westcott Bay trails, “Whimsy Woods,” three orca fins, “Starfish” for  Continue Reading

From the Stewardship Network of the San Juans “Here we all are, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world.” – Samuel L. Jackson. We might not have a vibranium shield, a fancy metal suit designed by Tony Stark, or a hammer only we can lift, but we can still be  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Land Bank The San Juan County Land Bank is requesting proposals from anyone interested in a short-term agricultural hay rental agreement of the Zylstra Lake Preserve Property on San Juan Island. The property has approximately 70 acres of hay pasture. Individuals or organizations interested in this lease should go to the  Continue Reading

By Jason A. Ontjes, program coordinator, San Juan County Noxious Weed Control  Daphne laureola, or spurge laurel, has been on the state’s noxious weed list since 2007. This evergreen ornamental shrub, which is native to Europe and northern Africa, was once sold by plant nurseries in the Pacific Northwest, but it is now on the  Continue Reading

From Spring Street International School Join Joshua Hoyt for a discussion on foraging, a word emphasizing the act of searching for wild edibles, at 6 p.m., March 16. While modern foraging is often about the search, indigenous people thought very differently about what it meant to get food from their environment. Far from a passive,  Continue Reading

From event organizers The 2021 San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit will be held virtually from March 20-April 16. Registration closes March 14.  Designed as a space for inspiration, education, and community building, the 2021 Summit is bringing together farmers, producers, and food system advocates to learn and discuss ways to build an equitable future for  Continue Reading

By Krista Mattox, Friday Harbor I live in the North 40 neighborhood of Friday Harbor. Over the past couple of days, there have been mysterious designs in the frost covering my pond. I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this in their pond. The designs have been there since Monday morning and haven’t changed at  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Lank Bank On Jan. 22, Tom Marschner and his faithful walking companion, Ellie the Golden Retriever, encountered a rare and sad occurrence near the summit of Mount Grant. Splayed out on a mossy outcrop, with broken-tipped beaks, were two dead Bald Eagles. Tom and Ellie promptly reported the incident to Land  Continue Reading

Sea Otter Disturbance By Dr. Tiff Stephens In the summer of 2017, I traveled to Friday Harbor Labs for one of my usual short visits of reconnecting with resident scientists and diving into the waters to see how the seaweed communities have changed at favored sites (Reuben Tarte, Cattle Point, Deadman Bay). I also traveled  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Land Bank The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on Friday, Jan. 15, from 8:30-11:30 a.m., via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click here to download the agenda, Zoom link and meeting materials. The San Juan County Land Bank is a local land conservation  Continue Reading

By Friends of the San Juans This year has been life-changing for all of us to varying degrees. In early March, the message from Friends of the San Juans was one of changing times, as directives unfolded with caution and deliberation. Those same feelings continue to unfold in a variety of ways. Yet today, we  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island National Historical Park San Juan Island National Historical Park announces its seasonal closure of the 4th of July Beach parking area effective, Sunday, Nov. 1. The closing of the parking area is an annual event to prevent damage to the area due to high rainfall, poor drainage, and heavy vehicle use.  Continue Reading

Thanks to the cooperation of the Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust we now have a beautiful new and historic public land to explore. On September 26th, National Public Lands Day, 5 years of negotiations and planning came to fruition when the 285-acre Zylstra Lake Preserve on San Juan Island officially opened part  Continue Reading

By WSU Extension Learn to be a better home gardener and steward of the environment this winter with Washington State University San Juan County Extension’s new online Home Horticulture Training program. Training focuses on a wide range of horticulture topics taught online by WSU faculty, staff, Master Gardeners and other regional experts on Saturday mornings  Continue Reading

Almost seven years ago, Friends of the San Juans began working with Washington State Parks on a salmon recovery project on Sucia Island. After a lot of research, surveys, designs, engineering, and permitting, the on-the-ground work to restore habitat has come to fruition. Located along a major migratory pathway for juvenile Chinook salmon, Sucia’s marine  Continue Reading

Thanks to John Miller for capturing this sunrise image… click to enlarge photo…

Robin Donnelly for the Old Military Road Trail Committee… What a great time to be exploring our trails. Covid seems to have made us all more aware of the healing power of nature and our fortunate ability to be part of it. As summer is waning, fall colors are taking over for the vibrancy of  Continue Reading

OLYMPIA–On Sept.1, eligible organizations may begin applying for grants to conserve community forests, the Recreation and Conservation Office announced today. The new state Community Forests Program will offer grants of up to $3 million. But organizations need to hurry. Applications are due Oct. 1. The grants must be used to buy at least 5 acres  Continue Reading

Join the MAC Meeting on August 27, 9:00am -5:00pm, Pacific Time (see Zoom link below)… Click on photo to enlarge… The MAC (Monument Advisory Committee) will be hearing from subject matter experts and the public to inform their deliberations as they discuss and present their input to the BLM. The full meeting agenda (PDF) can  Continue Reading

Many thanks to Liz Smith for this magical photo of Friday Harbor…